Kings and representatives of royal houses from 11 European countries in Athens- His sons and grandsons will carry the coffin of the former king- Closed streets in the center of Athens and a ban on drone flights- The whole ritual
In his last residence, next to his parents, Paul and Frederick the last man who held the office of king of the Greeks is led today to the complex of the royal tombs of Tatoiou. From six o’clock in the morning today and approximately until 11 o’clock the body of the former King Constantine is in the chapel of Agios Eleftherios for those who wish to say their last goodbyes. Afterwards, the body will be transferred to the Metropolis, where at 12 noon the exodus will be sung, presided over by Archbishop Hieronymos and 12 synodical hierarchs.
The ceremony will be attended by kings and representatives of royal houses from all over Europe, with which the former royal family of Greece has family ties. The arrivals of dignitaries began on Saturday and are expected to be completed early this morning. At the same time, the family of the former king has invited representatives of the country’s business life, who will attend the Metropolis. Representatives of political life will also be present, such as former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, together with his wife.
After the exodus, the body will be taken to Tatoi for burial, while the coffin will be carried on their shoulders by his two eldest sons, Pavlos and Nikolaos, as well as his two eldest grandsons, son of Pavlos – who even did a relevant rehearsal. The funeral, as it was known until yesterday, will be delivered by his first-born son, Paul.
The former king Constantine is buried as a private person, while the government will be represented by its vice president, Panagiotis Pikrammeno and the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni: It is noted that the government representation was upgraded in the person of Mr. Pikramenos due to the presence of heads of state at the ceremony.
Members of royal families from 11 countries arrived in Athens for the funeral of the late King Constantine. Security measures at the airport and in the center of Athens remain draconian. The king Felipe of Spain and his wife Letitia they arrived just before 20.00 at the Great Britain Hotel and the king followed Charles of Sweden with his wife Queen Silvia. The princess is expected to arrive in Athens early this morning Anna of Britain.
In the Metropolis, during the procession to the right of the coffin and in front of the despotic throne, the family will stand.
To the left of the family will be:
– Acting Heads of State
– Former kings
– Heirs to thrones
Thus, in the first row from the right will be the close family of the deceased, i.e. the wife of the late King Constantine, Anna Maria, his children Alexia, Pavlos, Nikolaos, Theodora and Philippos.
Next to their nieces will sit the queen mother of Spain, Sofia, and the former princess of Greece, Irene, the sisters of the late King Constantine.
Behind them will stand the rest of the family, about 30 people grandchildren and cousins. To the left of the family will be the royals, i.e. King Philip of Spain with his wife Letitia, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, King Carl Gustav of Sweden with Queen Silvia and the Queen of Denmark Margarita, sister of the wife of the former King Constantine.
After the burial, as is known, the family of the deceased will host a meal for their distinguished guests at the “Great Britain” hotel, as is customary in Greece, with seafood.
In Tatoi
In Tatoi, however, and with unprecedented procedures, the space in the complex of royal tombs was shaped, since after the disastrous fire of 2021, there were burnt trees and access was extremely difficult. Even trees were planted, while the path to the graves was covered with gravel so that the area would be in a dignified condition for the ceremony. The procession, according to the program, will start at one in the afternoon from the Metropolis of Athens and through central streets will enter the Ymittos regional road and from there the Athens-Lamia national road to reach Tatoi. All the guests of the former royal family will be moved by vans both to the Metropolis and then to Tatoi.
Draconian security measures
The Headquarters of the Hellenic Police announced that, in order to ensure the smooth and safe movement of pedestrians and vehicles due to the funeral procession of the former King Constantine, which will be chanted in the Holy Metropolis of Athens, temporary traffic regulations will be implemented on the roads of the center of Athens.
Specifically, according to a relevant decision of the Attica Traffic Directorate:
From 06:00′ to 14:00′ there is a temporary suspension of vehicular traffic on the following streets of the Municipality of Athens:
Metropolis throughout its length,
Aeolou, in the section between Andrianou and Ermou streets,
Ermou, in the section between Aiolou and Athena streets.
It is clarified that the traffic regulations may be extended or reduced as well as not applied depending on the prevailing traffic conditions, at the discretion of the head of Traffic measures.
Also according to the announcement of the Hellenic Police Headquarters, access to the chapel of Agios Eleftherios near the Metropolitan Church, where the body of the former king will be located, will be free from 06:00 am. to 11:00 a.m. today, while afterwards, at the request of the family, they will have access to the Metropolitan Church strictly family guests.
NOTAM restricts the traffic of drones in the airspace of areas of Attica
Temporary restrictions for the movement of drones in the airspace of specific areas in the center and in the north of Attica, for today, Monday, January 16, provides NOTAM, which was issued as part of the security measures for the funeral and burial of the former King Constantine.
Specifically, the directive concerns the airspace of the center of Athens, Tanagra, Tatoi and the area of ​​Dekelia, where flights are prohibited from 04:00 in the morning until 17:00 in the afternoon today.
It is noted that the NOTAM was issued in the context of the security measures for the funeral of the former King Constantine, following a request from the headquarters of the Hellenic Army.
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